A ROSE IN THE WILDERNESS

A ROSE IN THE WILDERNESS


God and Nature, I thank you
For bringing me down here
In this world as a red rose
But I do have a fear.

In this wilderness I have
No one for company.
I have none to protect me
And dangers are many.

Hail or storm or blast of wind
Will, in fact, in one go,
Destroy me mercilessly
And down in the dust, throw.

It’s true that in wilderness,
In burning desert heat,
Or in the cool garden shade,
A rose will smell as sweet.

But this fragrance and beauty
That you have given me
Is of little use, I can’t
Enchant anybody.


• Written in abcb, 7-6-7-6 format
• A rose will smell as sweet: (What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet)—Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet.


M C Gupta
12 March 2008